[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 167 (Thursday, August 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51300-51301]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-20417]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2014-0013]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Food Labeling

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA) are sponsoring a public meeting on September 23, 2014. The 
objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive 
public comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) 
positions to be discussed at the 42nd Session of the Codex Committee on 
Food Labeling in Foods (CCFL) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
(Codex), taking place in Santiago, Chile October 21-24, 2014. The Under 
Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on 
the 42nd Session of CCFL, and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, 2014 
from 1:00-4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the Jamie L. Whitten 
Building, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Room 107-A, Washington, DC 20250.
    Documents related to the 42nd Session of CCFL will be accessible 
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Felicia Billingslea, U.S. Delegate to the 42nd Session of the CCFL, 
invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments electronically 
to the following email address: [email protected].
    Call in Number:
    If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 42nd 
Session of the CCFL by conference call, please use the call in number 
and participant code listed below:
    Call in Number: 1-888-844-9904.
    The participant code will be posted on the following link: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/international-affairs/us-codex-alimentarius/public-meetings.

For Further Information About the 42nd Session of the CCFL Contact:  
Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements, Center for Food 
Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint 
Branch Parkway (HFS-800), College Park, MD 20740, Email: 
[email protected].

For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact: Barbara 
McNiff, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Room 4861, 
Washington, DC 20250, Phone: (202) 690-4719, Fax: (202) 720-3157, 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Codex was established in 1963 by two United Nations organizations, 
the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health 
Organization. Through adoption of food standards, codes of practice, 
and other guidelines developed by its committees, and by promoting 
their adoption and implementation by governments, Codex seeks to 
protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food 
trade.
    The CCFL is responsible for:
    (a) Drafting provisions on labeling applicable to all foods;
    (b) Considering, amending if necessary, and endorsing draft 
specific provisions on labeling prepared by the Codex Committees 
drafting standards, codes of practice and guidelines;
    (c) Studying specific labeling problems assigned to it by the 
Commission; and
    (d) Studying problems associated with the advertisement of food 
with particular reference to claims and misleading descriptions. The 
Committee is hosted by Canada.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 42nd Session of the CCFL 
will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Matters referred to the Committee
 Organic Aquaculture
 General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods to 
address the issue of date marking
 Other Business and Future Work

    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the Committee 
meeting. Members of the public may access or request copies of these 
documents (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the September 23, 2014, public meeting, draft U.S. positions on 
the agenda items will be described and discussed, and attendees will 
have the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. Written 
comments may be offered at the meeting or sent to the U.S. Delegate for 
the 42nd Session of the CCFL, Felicia Billingslea (see ADDRESSES). 
Written comments should state that they relate to activities of the 
42nd Session of the CCFL.

Additional Public Notification

    FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page 
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register.
    FSIS will also make copies of this Federal Register publication 
available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which provides 
information on FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal Register 
notices, FSIS public meetings, and other matters that could affect or 
would be of interest to constituents and stakeholders. The Update is 
communicated via Listserv, a free electronic mail subscription service 
for industry, trade groups, consumer interest groups, health 
professionals, and other individuals who have asked to be included. The 
Update is also available on the FSIS Web page. In addition, FSIS offers 
an email subscription service which provides automatic and customized 
access to selected food safety news and information. This service is 
available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/programs-and-services/email-subscription-service. Options range from recalls to 
export information to regulations, directives and notices. Customers 
can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to 
password protect their accounts.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination 
in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, 
national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, 
sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited 
bases apply to all programs.)
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, 
etc.) should contact

[[Page 51301]]

USDA's Target Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TTY).
    To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office 
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue 
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TTY). 
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

    Done at Washington, DC, on August 22, 2014.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2014-20417 Filed 8-27-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P